The 2019 food trends that aren't as healthy as you think

Diets and health food crazes are sweeping the nation. It seems like every day we’re introduced to new trends that claim to be the 'miracle diet' we need to lead healthier lives.

However, with all the information available it’s difficult to distinguish which trends are backed by scientific research, and which ones are just diet fads.

Here are five popular health trends that most of us don't question, but should:

1. The Celery Juice Movement

Image: Getty.Source:BodyAndSoul

This is the current global trend where certain health and wellness circles believe that drinking at least 500mls of celery juice each morning on an empty stomach has extraordinary health benefits including the ability to cure chronic illnesses.

Celery is a nutrient-dense vegetable and has a number of great health benefits. It’s a great source of potassium, vitamin k and flavonoids (which assists in maintaining electrolyte balance, antioxidant function, reduces inflammation and can assist in lowering blood pressure).

However, from a nutrition standpoint, juicing extracts the vegetable of one of its most valuable components - FIBRE. Plus, unless you’re purchasing organic celery, drinking a standard non-organic celery juice will mean you’re simply upping your daily intake of pesticides, which are far from healthy. Go for nutrient dense breakfasts absolutely but perhaps instead consider including a smoothie which includes a range of whole foods and rich nutrition is a better more long-term approach to health than a jug of celery juice each morning. You can up your nutrition considerably in a smoothie by including liquid supplements to ensure you are receiving an optimal balance of nutrients each day.

What is the Ketogenic diet?1:15

The Keto diet is a popular low-carb diet. But how does it work and what are the positives and negatives of it?

2. Ketogenic Diet

The Keto diet involves cutting most carbs.Source:BodyAndSoul

This diet calls for consuming high amounts of fat, a moderate amount of protein, and a very limited amount of carbs throughout the day and is commonly broken down to 75, 20, and 5 percent of your daily calorie intake. With this approach body enters ketosis, whereby fat becomes your main source of energy. When the body is in ketosis, it burns fat more efficiently resulting in weight loss.

Apart from weight loss, the keto diet is known to improve mental clarity, improve insulin sensitivity, has anti-aging benefits, reduces inflammation and can help improve heart health. However, your brain derives energy from blood glucose and requires carbohydrates for glucose to enter your bloodstream. As ketosis can only occur when carbohydrates are kept below 30-40 grams per day, it is common for many to initially experience fatigue.

Weight loss is generally governed by how many calories you consume versus how many you burn. If your calorie intake is less than caloric expenditure, you will lose weight regardless of the ratio of macronutrients.

3. Carb Cycling

Photo: iStockSource:BodyAndSoul

Carb Cycling focuses on alternating between a high carb and low carb days throughout the week and is tailored around your energy needs. Conceptually this diet follows nutrition periodisation, which involves matching your energy intake based on your expenditure.

This diet is known to reignite weight loss plateaus, improve exercise performance and ultimately lead to more calories burned, and on the low carbohydrate days fat stores may be used as the energy source due to reduced glucose levels in the blood. This method will also prevent low fibre intake which can occur on keto diets.

However, similarly to intermittent fasting, some people can become obsessively fixated on high carb days and potentially overeat or even binge on carbs. This dietary approach can also be potentially problematic for those whom may have a history of disordered eating. Rather, by eating a balanced diet of fibre, protein and healthy fats you can ensure you are a far better balance of nutrients each day.

4. Intermittent Fasting

Image: iStockSource:BodyAndSoul

This eating strategy involves cycling between periods of eating and periods of voluntarily withholding of food. The most common fasting window is between 14-16 hours and has proven to regulate insulin levels.

Fasting produces benefits for disease prevention, metabolic health, weight loss and may even extend lifespan. However, as the content of your meals during these eating periods are not a factor, some people overeat during these intervals.

One thing that you must avoid during these fasting cycles is compromising overall nutrition by limiting the intake of veggies, fruit, lean protein and healthy fats. The most important factor to consider is whether intermittent fasting will work with your lifestyle. For some, IF fits better than others. For most, it’s not a realistic long-term approach, so I would suggest again if you need to improve your diet, work with other strategies before jumping on the intermittent fasting band wagon.

5. Plant-based/vegan

Image: iStock.Source:BodyAndSoul

A much more mainstream diet, plant-based or vegan is essentially a strict vegetarian diet whereby you exclude all forms of animal products. A plant-based diet can greatly affect your health, with some of the health benefits including weight loss, low saturated fat intake and potentially reducing cholesterol levels, and it naturally contains more fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

However, there are some health concerns with the vegan including the inadequate intake of protein, calcium, iron, vitamin B-12, omega 3 fatty acids and folate, all of which can be found within animal products. Overtime, the absence of these key nutrients can have detrimental effects on bone density, muscle mass and energy for example.

I would recommend a gradual shift rather than a radical change to a vegan or plant based diet and doing so with the support of a qualified health practitioner. Ensure you are consuming protein and calcium rich foods such as tofu, lentils, beans and legumes and tempeh. Incorporating a once-a-day supplement into your diet is also a good way of ensuring you are getting the right amount of vitamins and minerals. A multivitamin or high vitamin B supplement that supports energy production and antioxidant support.